Why Eat with the Season?
There's nothing like fresh, flavorful local bounty. One of the best ways to know and experience what’s in season is to patronize your local farmers market and see what regional farms are producing. Eating seasonally connects us deeply with place and time and nourishes our bodies with the natural cycles of the Earth. Fall and winter are when we need to eat foods that warm us and that means more cooked foods that often grow below the soil. Dense, nutrient and antioxidant-rich foods like onions, garlic, squash, turnips, potatoes and carrots keep us warm and protect us against illness. These vegetables also store well in root cellars during the cold winter months. Spring is a time for renewal and fresh new growth, so go for leafy, vibrant, nutrient-rich greens like dandelion, spinach, kale, swiss chard, lettuce, or cress that aid in cleansing the blood to help you renew your body's vibrancy. Summertime is when our bodies usually desire more cooling foods, like cucumbers, zucchini, red bell peppers and an abundance of fresh fruits and berries.
Fruits and vegetables in season are much more supportive of not only your health, but also the health of the planet. Fruits and vegetables that are not in season have to travel long distances, if not across the globe. Some statistics suggest that fruits and vegetables at your local supermarket travel between 1500 and 2500 miles before they get to you. To ensure that fruits and vegetables don't spoil along the way, they are picked while still immature or unripe. Not only does this affect the freshness and aroma of your fruits and vegetables, it can cause vitamin degradation and nutrient loss. Packaging and shipping fruits and vegetables over long distances consumes finite energy resources (usually fossil fuels), causing air and water pollution and affects the health of our water planet. Support your community farmer, your personal nutrition, and the planet by buying seasonal, local produce.
